The present invention is concerned with the field of cosmetic containers and holders. More specifically, the present invention is concerned with a cosmetic holder apparatus comprised of a base and cover that contain a lipstick tube and at least one lip liner or lip brush.
Cosmetic articles and makeup are among the personal items that women use to enhance the appearance of certain parts or features of their faces. The cosmetic articles are designed for specific parts of the face and typically consist of lipstick tubes, eyeliner pencils or applicators, mascara brushes, powder puffs or applicators for the nose, cheeks and adjacent facial areas, and the like. Since makeup must be reapplied or touched up over the course of the day or evening, the wearer must have ready access to makeup and means of application. With lip makeup, i.e. lipstick, the makeup and applicator thereof consist of a tube of lipstick of the appropriate color and a lip liner or lipstick brush for a more precise application or delineation of the lipstick.
The lipstick brush and lip liner are usually stored and transported by the user within a pocketbook or similar carrying article or case. Pocketbooks are concerned with a main holding area for miscellaneous items, such as individual articles of makeup, pens, hair clips, and the like, and it is common for a lip liner or lipstick brush to be placed therein. In such a location, a lipstick brush and lip liner become mixed with the other items and are frequently difficult to find and retrieve and possibly damaged over time as they are subject to being jostled around, being struck, or impacted by other items within the interior of the pocketbook, purse, or carrying case. The tip of the lip liner is especially vulnerable to breakage.
What is needed to overcome the aforementioned disadvantages of storing and transporting lipstick tubes and lip liners or lip brushes is the provision of a cosmetic holder apparatus that is designed to receive, store, and dispense a lipstick tube and at least one lip liner, the holder consisting of a base into which the lipstick tube and lip liner are inserted and the lipstick tube is rotatably dispensed. A cover should enclose at least the lipstick tube and optionally the lip liner, the cover fitting over the base preferably in a manner that avoids disassociation with the base from being pried loose by other objects within its storage location.
Numerous designs for cosmetic containers have been proposed by others. Even though these designs may be suitable for the specific individual purposes to which they address, they would not be suitable for the purposes of the present invention, as such designs are generally elaborate and cumbersome to use within the confining area of a pocketbook, purse, or carrying case. These designs are exemplified by U.S. Pat. No. 4,679,692, Containers for Cosmetics, issued to Davey on Jul. 14, 1987; U.S. Pat. No. 5,373,940, Lipstick-Pill Box Container, issued to Hillelson on Dec. 20, 1994; U.S. Pat. No. 5,441,153, Lipstick and Container System, issued to Lahaye on Aug. 15, 1995; U.S. Pat. No. 6,035,865, Cosmetic Holder Assembly, issued to Krieger on Mar. 14, 2000; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,145,515, Multi-Color Lipstick Case, issued to Wu on Nov. 14, 2000.
As such, it may be appreciated that there is a continuing need for a new and improved cosmetic holder apparatus for storage of a lipstick tube and a lip liner that permits these cosmetic items to be kept in close proximity for quick and convenient retrieval for use and protected from damage when placed within a pocketbook or carrying article, and that dispenses the lipstick from its stored position. In these respects, the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in so doing provides an apparatus that substantially fulfills this need. Additionally, the prior patents and commercial techniques do not suggest the present inventive combination of component elements arranged and configured as disclosed herein.
The present invention achieves its intended purposes, objects, and advantages through a new, useful, and unobvious combination of method steps and component elements, with the use of a minimum number of functioning parts, at a reasonable cost to manufacture, and by employing only readily available materials.